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Lys
Lys is a island city located south of the Disputed Lands. It is one of the nine Free Cities of western Essos. It is ruled by a conclave of Magisters, but members of House Targaryen have considered the city to be part of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters ever since the War of Unification. Layout Like many of the other Free Cities, Lys served initially as a port for trade through the empire of Old Valyria, and the functioning of the city still reflects this to this day. Temples to hundreds of gods line the waterfront and the streets, and slaves outnumber freemen three to one. Locations of Particular Note * The Spire of the Alchemists - just east of the centre of the city, a monolith of white stone can be found, and serves as the home of the Alchemists of Lys, famed for their creation of agents such as the Strangler and the Tears of Lys. Nakenno Bahyl, a magister many centuries ago, realised that the alchemists of the city would use their skills to create the substances regardless of the conclave's stance, and instead opted that they should do so openly, to ensure quality, but more importantly, adequate taxation. Whilst other organisations still work within the shadows, it is the Alchemists of Lys that produce the most potent agents that are sold throughout the Known World. The Alchemists of Lys are very secretive in their craft, and are known to take on a new acolyte when one of the elders of their organisation passes. * The Temple of Trade - one of the many temples found within the city, the Temple of Trade has long been a sight of controversy after the death of Lysaro Rogare, son of Lysandro the Magnificent at the hands of an angry mob following a disagreement turned violently sour. The Rogare Family has since shunned the teachings of the temple, and all those who seek to find themselves on the side of one of the most powerful families in Lys echo their actions. * The Temple of R'hllor - Whilst the Faith of the Red God has lost popularity further north in Pentos in favour of the Church of Starry Wisdom, followers of R'hllor remain prolific within the Free City of Lys, their worship centred around the pale-orange stone temple found in the north of the city. Similar to Volantis, the temple is guarded by slave-warriors tattooed with the flames of their god. * The Rogare Bank - after the death of Lysandro Rogare, called Lysandro the Magnificent in 133AC, the Rogare Bank began to decline in power, and was soon eclipsed by the Braavosi-based Iron Bank in terms of preference for the wealthy and those in need of wealth of Westeros and Essos alike. However, following the War of Unification, the Bank has made a recent resurgence in power, and while it is still not able to rival that of Braavos, its popularity amongst lords and magisters alike continues to grow. From this, the Rogare family has grown very wealthy once again, and are considered by many to be amongst the most powerful individuals in Lys, if not all of the Free Cities. * The Vineyards of Stone - the Free City of Lys is famed for its fine white wines, and the Vineyards of Stone is the name given to the street upon which storerooms and cellars filled with casks and bottles are stored before their transport across the Known World. Each major family of Lys owns half a dozen winecellars upon the Vineyards of Stone, and many minor families vie control of those that remain. * The Goddess' Touch - the most famous pillowhouse in Lys, and arguably the Known World, the Goddess' Touch boldly claims to be capable of serving the tastes of every patron to visit, regardless of any oddities they may desire. Bed-slaves from north of the Wall to Naath, courtesans from as far east as Yi Ti and the Plains of the Jogos Nhai, the Goddess' Touch has them all, and offers a bag full of coin to those who do not find themselves pleased after their attendence. * Sathmantes' Mint - although now owned by the Rogare family, Sathmantes' Mint still bears the name of the man responsible for its creation, Ballos Sathmantes. The modest building, nestled close to the Rogare Bank, serves as the primary location for the creation of the coinage of Lys, which bears the native goddess of Lys and are oval in shape. * The Bay of Lys - the waters around which the city of Lys are built are a wonder of their own. Home to a bounty of brightly coloured life from silver-tipped sharks and striped eels to leatherback turtles and azure-shaded octopuses, the Bay not only provides a source of income for the fishermen of the city, but also an attraction for those who wish to marvel at the clear-blue waters and those that populate it. The magister Varidos Nahohr is often seen upon his colossal pleasure barge, moving slowly from one side of the bay to the other, whilst being attended to by an army of servants and pillowslaves. * Canahs - whilst technically not part of Lys itself, Canahs is a small fishing village found around ten leagues west of the city, and most famous for playing the site of the Battle at Canahs during the War of Unification. * Temple of the Weeping Lady of Lys - A temple dedicated to the goddess of the Lyseni, chiefly older women. Her temple bears a statue of the Weeping Lady at its front. The statue is of marble and sits at twelve feet, and tears flow from her eyes, similar to the one that sits in the House of Black and White. The entrance to the temple is a large marble arch, with a great gate that is opened every morning for prayer by an acolyte. Leading in, is a courtyard where the statue sits. Around the courtyard, down a path of cobblestone, is the sleeping quarters for the caretakers and priests of the temple. Down the center of the courtyard is a fountain of water. Past the fountain is the temple itself, which is sealed by two heavy oaken doors. Inside, another statue of the Weeping Lady stands, where the faithful can pray before her. Recent History Following on from the War of Unification, Lys has continued to resist the claims and demands of House Targaryen and the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, which still maintain they are the true rulers of the Free City. Although war of the scale of that between 244AC and 247AC has never occurred since, a number of small skirmishes have taken place, nearly all within the Disputed Lands, via armies of sellswords. As of the turn of 280AC, Lys maintains a small foothold directly in the peninsula directly north of the Free City's location, but the Disputed Lands remain primarily in the territory of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters. Ever since the conflict however, the support offered to the Free City of Lys by Blackfyre-controlled Westeros seems to have wained, as the Royal attention has moved elsewhere, more often than not focusing closer to the Iron Throne itself, and the realms governed by it. There are magisters, therefore, that have grown concerned that the Targaryens may once again press their claim on the island city, and have looked elsewhere for future support. The Lohar and Ormellon families have sought out sellswords from the Orange Shore and the territory of Volantis, whereas the Maars have approached the First Daughter itself. House Rogare has started to reach out to the people of the Summer Isles to consolidate their strength, whilst Sathmantes and Vhassyl have approached a number of Dornish Lords. Whilst no universal religion exists within Lys, the Lord of Light remains the most popular amongst the pantheons available, similar to the city of Volantis to the east. In spite of this, the Church of Starry Wisdom has attracted a small and zealous population of followers, and their presence has angered those who believe in R'hllor, many of whom declare followers of the Church to be worshippers of the Great Other and his denizens. This unrest reached a peak in recent moons when believers of the Red God set ablaze the Cathedral of the Church, causing a number of deaths of both worship-goers and those in the local area. The Church of Starry Wisdom has since held its services aboard a pair of large cogs anchored within the harbour, their sails the same fabric as the dappled cloth used for the robes of the Priests. Category:Lys Category:Free Cities Category:City Category:Essos Category:Island